The Killer in You
by ChickenLove33
Summary: Summary: Feeling the power of the Boca Del Inferno Klaus comes to Sunnydale unaware that it is home to the most powerful slayer. Will he be able to resist his attraction to her or kill her before it begins?
1. Chapter 1

_**Author Notes**_: Based off of LaLunaRossa90 video on YouTube called Stronger. She deserves all the credit for creating such a magnificent idea. Vampire Diaries and Buffy the Vampire Slayers content, ideas, and characters all belong to their respective owners. I own nothing!

_**Author Notes 2**_: This story begins in Season Five of the BTVS universe and then goes AU from there and the storyline for Klaus's character will be completely AU. Klaus has broken the Sun and Moon curse in this story by killing Katerina 500 years ago. He will still be the original hybrid.

_**Chapter One- The Killer in You**_

Blood. The smell of it was intoxicating. It coated his clothing, stained his mouth and hands red, and drained from the hearts that slowly stopped beating while they lay outside of their owner's chest. Bodies of countless dead were surrounding him as he tried to regain his bearing.

He slowly stood up and found himself at what had been a campsite. Bodies of all shapes and sizes littered the ground. He stumbled back as a wave of memories crashed into his fragile state of mind. He remembered falling to the ground as gut wrenching pain filled his mind and he was consumed with the blood lust that he hasn't felt in a thousand years. He remembered the euphoric sensation of the blood going down the back of his throat as he ripped into the fragile skin of every terror filled victim.

As he turned to make his way from the chaos that surrounded him he found himself face to face with the last person that he wanted to witness the destruction that lay before them. Buffy Summers stood before him with her blonde hair in loose waves dressed in a tight fitting button up white shirt, tight jeans, and boots with her suitcase in hand.

Her emerald green eyes met his blue eyes with an inhuman look of grief that tore his very soul to shreds. The emptiness that filled her face caused him such an outburst of guilt that he spun to smash the closest thing that lay before him. The empty beer bottle shred his already bloody palm to ribbons.

"Klaus… What did you do?" Buffy whispered.

He tried to remember what had caused him to create such chaos, but his mind was still foggy and buzzing with energy. He remembered waking up next to his feisty blonde slayer after watching her sleep as he counted his lucky stars for bringing this miracle into his life. He remembered kissing her goodbye after she promised to meet him at their intended rendezvous point. He made their traveling preparations so she could spend time with her family. And then nothing, but a voice that had spoken about his deepest fears, a voice that had whispered of his darkest desires, and a strong burning need to tear into the flesh of every living thing that had been in his path.

"I did everything I was told" He shouted at her as he grabbed for his head. He tore at his face to get at the buzzing noise that still lingered in the back of his mind.

"No, no, no. Please don't be dead" Buffy ran to the nearest corpse to check for a pulse and stumbled to the next reaching for their torn necks trying in vain to cover their gaping wounds. "I have to help them…"

"Sweetheart… They're all dead." He whispered brokenly as he slowly stepped toward her.

Before he could make any movement to comfort her she immediately withdrew her stake. "Leave. Now! They warned me not to trust you and I refused to listen," she struggled to contain her emotions and wiped a tear hastily off her face. "I refused to accept what you really are, but you think I would've learned by now." Her stance suggested war, but her eyes were full of agony.

"Don't come back or else I will find a way to end your existence"

He nodded and slowly faded into the shadows leaving her to clean a mess that he made without any idea to what caused it. He swore to whatever gods were above that he would find whomever or whatever did this to him and make them pay.

_**Author Note 3**_: This is my first story and unfortunately I did not have a beta writer. I'm really excited to see what everyone thinks so please review! Thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author Notes: Thank you for the kind reviews! It means a lot to me especially since this is my first attempt at writing. I just wanted to clarify that it starts out with some Bangel fluff, but Kluffy is the endgame! **_

Buffy flew through the air and landed against a wooden park bench shattering it pieces. Wincing as some rogue pieces of wood stabbed painfully into her back she slowly got up to face the blonde vampire as he walked casually to where she now stood.

"I have to say I'm rather unimpressed Slayer I've heard such great things about your speed and strength!" His accented voice carrying a hint of amusement.

"Sorry to disappoint! Here I thought you and I were becoming friends," Buffy said as she rushed the smirking blonde and threw a right hook at his face that he quickly dodged and countered with quick jab to her face.

They circled around each other looking for an opening to strike as they analyzed each other's critical weaknesses. Deciding to try another offensive tactic Buffy rushed forth arms and legs moving in a flurry as she threw jab, kicks, elbows anything to weaken the monster before her. Finding an opening in his well-protected defense Buffy grabbed him and threw him face first into the ground as he went to stand she kicked him hard in the face. His head rocked back and to the side before he could get up she dropped onto a knee and her stake fashioned by the broken park bench drove deep into his heart.

"Evil vampire zero and one for the slayer." Buffy muttered as she got up and wiped her clothes clean. She continued her journey out of the graveyard when she heard a deep laugh behind her; she quickly spun and froze at the sight before her.

The vampire that she just staked stood before her easily prying the stake out of his chest cavity. As he removed the offending piece of wood he looked at it and tossed it carelessly aside. Turning towards her he gave her an easy smile that displayed an impressive set of dimples. "I think I underestimated you, Slayer. I've killed several in my long existence, but I have never had any best me in a fight nor manage to put a stake through my heart."

"Happy to be of service! I can offer you a repeat performance free of charge if you want to have another introduction to Mr. Pointy." She said with one hand on her hip as she twirled a stake in her opposite hand to prove her point.

He stopped before her and gave her another one of his dimpled grins. "What's your name, love?"

"You want to be friends now? Do you know how this game works? I'm the Vampire Slayer and you are apparently some kind of demonic creature. We fight, I kick your ass back to whatever hell you escaped from, and you die. Got it?" Buffy said sarcastically eyeing him as he stood casually with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Well, that's the thing I'm not a demonic creature per se even though many would agree with that description of me. I'm something quite different." He flashed behind her and raised a hand to touch a piece of her long golden hair.

She twirled toward him and gasped at how close he stood in front of her. She didn't really get a good look when she had attacked him as she spotted him draining a young girl of her blood. He had short dark blonde hair, blue eyes, light coating of stubble, and a very gorgeous smile to go with his killer accent. Bad Buffy don't check out the evil vampire, she thought nervously.

"Here in America we have this thing called personal space." She snapped and stepped back away from his outstretched hand and handsomely annoying face.

He tilted his head as his eyes moved all over her face and after a moment he smiled impishly. "Perhaps I'm going to enjoy my stay here after all." He said softly.

"Buffy!" A voice shouted in the distance.

Buffy continued staring at the mysterious man too nervous to turn her back to him. His eye's flicked up over her shoulder to watch as two of her friends ran towards her. He sighed and picked up her hand and brought her knuckles to his lips and said charmingly "Buffy, until we meet again."

He started to slowly back away his eyes never leaving hers and before he blended into a shadow she called out "Who are you?"

"My name is Klaus." He said his voice sounding far away.

He was gone by the time her friends reached her. Xander gently put his arm around her shoulders and turned her around to look at their faces having apparently ignored their calls.

"Who was that?" Willow asked staring at the space Klaus just vanished from.

"Giles… We are going to need Giles." Buffy answered worriedly.

"I'm telling you Giles. This guy was strong, fast, and really annoying. I mean really annoying and worst of all I staked him and he didn't go poof! Did I mention he was annoying?"

"Yes, you did several times in fact. You staked him through the heart and he did not explode into a cloud of dust you say?" Giles said thoughtfully.

"Bingo." Buffy said from her spot between Willow and Xander as they sat around a large table surrounded by stacks of bookshelves that were housed inside the Magic Box.

Giles got up from his chair that was next to Anya as she sat by the register cataloguing various items into their inventory list. He walked to a nearby bookshelf and rummaged around till he found a small leather bound book that seemed to satisfy him.

"If I recall you mentioned that he was feeding from a young woman like every other vampire that you faced? The only difference that you noticed was an increase of strength, speed, and overall defense against your attacks?" Giles questioned as he searched through the small book.

"Exactly. He didn't even seem to be weakened by me staking him either. He actually seem to think it was hilarious that I was able to beat him in a fight." Buffy spoke insulted that the arrogant vampire doubted her skills in combat.

"Long ago I read about a line of vampires that I believed to be myth since so little were known about them. They are believed to be created by a witch long ago that preserved their spirits or essence one could say inside their deceased form. This created an evolved form of hybrid from the vampires that you are used to Buffy... My understanding is that they are still driven by the same emotional conquests as they were in life, but they have increased strength, speed, agility, and possible other talents that I'm quite unaware of."

"Meaning that these vampires have a soul?" Buffy whispered quietly as her mind seemed to drift to another place or in her case to the soulful brown eyes of her ex-lover.

"Essentially yes. Again there is so little known about them and I haven't encountered an actual book that confirms their existence." Giles rushed on as he nervously pushed his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose.

"Still if this "Klaus" is still a vampire why didn't he vanish into a big cloud of dust after Buffy staked him?" Xander chimed into the conversation as Willow walked over to look at the book Giles held in his hand.

"Because Klaus is one of Original family of vampires that the witch placed the curse on. He is impervious to being killed by a stake, direct sunlight, fire, etc." All eyes in the room turned to Anya as she continued filling out her paperwork as if she didn't just drop a huge bomb on the rest of them. "What? All the demons in the underworld that were in the loop knew about him." She finished once she felt their stares burning into her.

"So, you met this Klaus and you didn't think we would want to know about it?" Xander asked with annoyance dripping from his words.

"Well, I never actually met him I just heard about many of his achievements throughout the years. He was known to be merciless to anyone that crossed him… Hello ex-vengeance demon here! I admit I was a fan of his work." Anya confirmed as Xander and Willow stared unbelievingly at her.

Giles cleared his throat to gather their attention and turned his eyes to where Buffy sat calmly in her chair, "Buffy, I know we have been training and I'm rather proud of the progress you have made, but I fear that you need to be more on guard then normal if this vampire is in town. I will continue researching to see what I can discover about his possible weaknesses."

Buffy nodded her head barely listening as her mind drifted back to Angel. She wondered if he knew about these "souled" vampires or if they would be a surprise to him. She chewed her lip thoughtfully and wondered what her life would have been like now if Angel was unable to lose his soul. Would he have stayed or would he have still went to Los Angeles to atone for the evil that his counterpart Angelus committed? She silently chided herself for wishing on what if's when she knew the trouble it caused her in her last relationship. Her ex-boyfriend Riley Finn was a kind, loyal, and wholesome guy, but he broken off their relationship when he realized that she was unable to move on from her past relationship with Angel. She really couldn't blame him when she used words like wholesome to describe him. What is he a healthy brand of cereal, she thought angrily to herself.

"Buffy, are you okay?" She almost jumped straight out of the chair as Willow put a gentle hand on her shoulder to awaken her from her unhappy thoughts.

"Sorry! I called your name, but you were in the land of Buffy. Everything okay?" Willow asked softly and cast a quick look over to Giles. "Thinking about Angel?"

Buffy laughed softly but it turned out sounding more like a sob. "You know me so well."

"That's what best friends are for. Do you want to talk about it?" Willow whispered shooting another look toward the Scoobies to make sure their conversation remained unheard.

"Nah. I know you think I need to move on and I'm trying… but it's really difficult for me to get over him, Wills." Her voice sounded too close to cracking for her liking. "You know, if it's okay I think I'm going to go home and be all doom and gloom. I'll be back here tomorrow morning ready to party and do Buffy things!"

Willow looked sadly at her and placed a warm hand on her hands that were nervously playing with a ripped piece of her shirt that was torn from tonight's fight with Klaus. "Even though I think you need to move on from Angel I'm still here for you. I'm your BFF and I mean to live by those words, lady."

"I know and thank you." She said with a sad smile.

After giving the Scoobies hugs and promising to be careful on the way back to her house Buffy walked slowly and uneventfully back home. As she turned the door knob to enter her house she froze as a tingle went up and down her spine. She turned and scanned the perimeter of her house looking for any shadow that seemed out of place. She was tempted to call out, but decided against it as she heard her sister's footsteps nearing the semi open door. If it was Klaus she decided he could wait till tomorrow for another chance at her.

Klaus stood beside a large tree outside of Buffy's house as he watched her scan the darkness for a sign of him. He had considered breaking her neck and leaving it in the open doorway for her family to find, but decided against it as he took in her glowing skin, her shiny hair, and beautiful doll shaped face. He admired her feisty attitude and her tenacity as she continued fighting him even when she realized that his strength and speed were superior to hers. He smiled as she reprimanded her sister for coming near the open doorway when she knew evil things go bump in the night.

"Indeed, love. Indeed they do." He whispered as he turned to go find a snack now that there was no chance of his dinner being interrupted by Buffy.


	3. Chapter 3

Author Update 1~~~ Wow, I'm so sorry for the long wait on chapter 3! I just wanted to thank all the reviewers that have left me some cool and inspiring messages. Also, I wanted to thank everyone who has hit the favorite or follow button! It's been such an honor for me! Enough with all the gushiness and please enjoy the update!

Author Update 2`````This chapter may not quite fit in YET, but bear with me! I have a reason for the chaotic whirlwind of events!

Buffy was standing on white sand overlooking crystal blue waters. She felt the sun on her face as she dipped her head back with a peaceful smile. She felt a smooth hand rest on her lower back and she turned to find herself being wrapped in Angel's strong arms. She looked into his eyes that were the color of the deepest chocolate and whispered, "I've missed you."

His face turned serious as he stepped away from her and said "You deserve a normal life without me, without this pain, you deserve a life with someone who can give you this." His hand swept across the view of blue water, white sand, and birds flying happily in the sky, "You deserve someone who can make love to you and take you into the light."

Buffy felt a pain like a ton of bricks hit the pit of her stomach as he repeated similar words used when he broke up with her a year ago. She stepped away harshly turning and walked straight into Xander as they now stood in an abandoned building.

"We get it, you got burned. You need to move onto the land of the living, Buff." Xander said sarcasm dripping from his words and Willow appeared dressed in layers of black lace and leather. "You're missing all the good things in life as you waste time grinding with the dead." Willow said as an inky blackness drifted past her red-painted lips.

Buffy watched as the blackness circled their heads and the faster it circled the faster images of her life passed by. She watched as she shared kisses with Angel, exchanged blows with Spike, laughed with the Scoobies, and as her Mother appeared before her eyes the spinning stopped and the blackness descended down and engulfed her mother with its sticky oily stain. She opened her mouth to scream a warning to only be stopped as Klaus appeared behind her mother. He grabbed her mother and held a hand out to Buffy with a cocky smile on his lips. Buffy desperately looked at her mother but before she could grab Klaus's hand his body was overtaken by the black stain and together they sank into the black abyss.

She felt a cold scaly hand touch her arm and as she turned she found herself faced with a faceless demon with the body of a wendigo. Its empty face leaned closer to her ear and whispered, "They will never accept you, they will always find fault in you, and they will try to destroy you. Kill them, kill them all, rip their bleeding hearts from their chest, and reap in their pitiful screams."

Buffy shoved it away trying to push away the coldness its words left in her and as her palm connected with its scaly frame it suddenly disappeared and her palm was taken by a larger calloused hand. Her hand was gently being pulled so her body was slowly pressed to a large warm body and she looked into the blue eyes of Klaus as he stared determinedly at her.

He whispered "I know what you want and this life will never be enough for you." Faster than a blink of an eye his glittering fangs tore viciously into her throat.

Buffy snapped awake with a silent scream as a coldness enveloped her sweaty body. She ran her hands through her long blonde locks in hope of wiping away the stain that the various images left on her heart. She got up from her bed and padded over to the partly open window and shoved it up with more force than necessary as it quivered in its frame. Buffy sat on the window seal and looked upon the empty street watching as the breeze made the branches of the tree sway in a gentle harmony compared to the chaotic mess of emotions that swirled inside her head.

The hurtful words that Willow and Xander said to her, the repeated abuse to her heart from Angel, and the emptiness pulling at her mother kept replaying as she tried to piece together her thoughts. Was it a cryptic dream or just a really freaky dream that her mind conjured up from the many nights of slaying the undead she asked herself. Releasing a long drawn sigh her eyes scanned the darkness surrounding her house searching for any movement in the shadows. Her spider senses prickled as she noticed movement in the shadows underneath her tree, but before she could react an alarmed scream had her running to her sister's room down the hall.

Bursting into the room throwing the door wide Buffy stood staring in horror as she came upon the sight of her mother with her hands wrapped tightly around a pillow as she brutishly attempted to smother her youngest daughter. Dawn's arms and legs were flailing in every direction as desperately attempted to push-off her attacker. Buffy used a burst of speed and in seconds had her mother unarmed and thrown to the other end of the room as Dawn gasped for large mouthfuls of air.

"What are you doing?" She screamed at her mother as she stood protectively in front of her sister. Her mother slowly stood up and drunkenly wobbled as her glossy eyes found Buffy's furious ones.

"It's not real… It's a disgusting bit of quivering mess that disguises itself. I can feel buzzing in my head… through my ears." Her mother whispered her voice low and nasally as she wobbled ever closer to where Dawn sat quivering in fear. Buffy's palm connected with her mother's cheek with enough force to leave a red welt.

Her mother fell onto the floor with a soft groan as she dazedly looked around the room with confusion written on her kind face. Her eyes met Buffy's emerald orbs and then moved to where Dawn was softly crying on her bed. She immediately stood up and went move forward to where Dawn sat, but was intercepted as Buffy stood solidly in front of her.

"Buffy? What happened?" Joyce said with fear in her lovely brown eyes. Green met brown eyes as Buffy sternly scanned her mother's face for any sign of deceit or madness.

"You don't remember? I found you trying to hurt Dawnie…" Her voice trembling as she tried to maintain her stance as a protector.

Joyce stood clenching her hands to her chest staring numbly as she shook her head softy in response to the allegation thrown at her. "No, I wouldn't dare hurt my little girl."

Joyce rushed past her with a slight push and moved to cradle Dawn's face attempting to wipe away any shed tears. Dawn screamed and scrambled off the bed to huddle in the corner. Joyce stood in denial as a new sound made its presence known. Heavy footsteps quickly made their way up the stairs and into Dawn's room. Spike stood surveying the scene in front of him with a confused look on his face. "Eh, where's the demon Slayer?"

Joyce hit the floor with a soft whoosh and Buffy stared emotionlessly ahead of her before she walked over to where Dawn sat and slowly moved to cradle her in her arms. She made her way back to the door with Dawn safely in her arms and stopped to stare at Spike's confused face.

"I need you to take her down stairs while I call the ambulance." Buffy told him her face devoid of all expression.

"Slayer I-"

"Please." Spike gave a small nod as he took Dawn gently into his arms and made comforting noises as she buried her face deeply into his shirt. All the while he kept shooting looks back to Buffy as she stood in the middle of Dawn's room looking as if her world had just collapsed around her.


	4. Chapter 4

Numb. She felt numb. Buffy sat in a hard chair impatiently waiting for the doctors to explain what caused her mother to attack Dawn. There wasn't a shred of doubt in her mind that her mother would ever willingly attack one of her children. Unless… it was provoked. She immediately sat ram rod straight knocking Dawn off her shoulder into Spike who sat next to Dawn.

"What's the matter?" Spike sat up straighter in his chair looking around for any disturbances.

"Klaus… He's controlling my mom! He's trying to use them against me! That is the only explanation for why Mom would have tried to hurt Dawnie." She said.

"Klaus? The Original Hybrid?" His expression mildly quizzical. "My, my, Slayer, you do get around."

Buffy continued exploring her train of thought becoming even more convinced that Klaus was behind this attack and that he needed to pay for causing harm to her loved ones.

"You know him?" She practically spat at him ignoring the disgruntled look that Dawn shot in her direction as she tried to find a comfortable spot in the hard chair.

"Dru was a groupie for the family. She was barmy over the blonde twit and her brother Elijah." Spike light up a cigarette ignoring the no smoking sign clearly printed in the hall.

Buffy shot him a look of disgust, "Surprise, surprise, Shankcilla chasing after other men… Why did you put up that?"

Spike straightened up in his chair turning to her with a cocky smirk on his lip, his cigarette dangling dangerously between his teeth. "I'll have you know I'm enough man for Dru or any other woman that comes along…. Care for a test drive, Slayer?"

"Ugh! I wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole!" She hissed, moving further away from him to emphasis her point.

"Your loss sweetness," He winked at her before he settled back into his chair. "So Klaus has come to Sunnyhell… He is one bloody awful vampire and a legend with his torture techniques. He's even killed a few Slayers during his time."

She feigned disinterest but she knew Spike was smart enough to know that hit a chord with her, "Why would he come here? To challenge me?"

"Every vampire, demon, or warlock worth his salt knows who you are. My advice to you is be careful with him or you'll be another notch on his belt." He kept his eyes averted but she swore there was almost a bit of tenderness underneath his cocky "I don't care" attitude.

Before she could make a comment about his interest in her wellbeing she heard a familiar voice shouting her name.

"Buffy!"

Spike groaned as he seen the approaching Scooby gang and mentally cursed them for interrupting his bonding time with Buffy. He sneered as Xander shot him a look that plainly showed he was not welcome there or anywhere near the Slayer or her family.

"What is he doing here?" Xander said accusingly. He eyes darted around the room as if trying to spot the obvious trap Spike set for them.

"I'm sitting with the little bit, you mindless twit," Spike answered before Buffy could open her mouth. "Someone has to be here to help with the little bit while Joyce gets her treatment done."

"How do we know you didn't cause it? What the hell were you doing next to Buffy's house anyways?!" Xander pointed his finger in Spike's face before Willow gently maneuvered her way into the conversation saying, "Why don't we worry about Buffy and Dawn first guys and then we can fight later."

"Here, Here! Buffy, Do you think a demon was involved in this? Joyce would never lay a hand on Dawn otherwise." Giles kneeled in front of his Slayer mentally analyzing her for any cuts, bruises, or lacerations that could give him insight to whatever demon that caused this.

"Klaus. It has to be Klaus. He storms into town and then my mom suddenly goes off the deep end hurting Dawn and she acted strange... Like she didn't recognize her youngest daughter." As she spoke she became even more convinced to the idea of Klaus controlling her mother. "The doctor is running tests to see if there are other possibilities, but you know they can't spot demonic possession."

"The Klaus that I met doesn't need to resort to demons doing his dirty work. He likes to play games, but he will want to kill you with his bare hands." Spike spoke ignoring the eyes of everyone except his Slayer.

"Did anyone ask you, dead boy?" Xander said disgustedly.

Spike burst out of his chair bumping into Xander harshly as he made his way towards the exit. As he walked to the door with his leather jacket flaring out behind he stopped to light another cigarette all the while ignoring the protests of the nurse at the front desk. "Remember what I said Slayer. He's here to kill you and he will do everything he needs to make it happen."

The Scooby Gang stared after him quietly each person caught up in their own thoughts. Buffy was startled from her thoughts as a balding man approached them in a white lab coat. "Miss Summers?"

"Yes! That's me, I'm Miss Summers, which you obviously know since I'm the only one standing here babbling, talking, I mean… "

He cut her off with a slightly bemused expression, "Your mother is resting now, but we suspect that she may have a possible growth. Several of the x-rays show a shadow on her brain, but we can't be sure till we do further testing."

"Is she dying?"

"Meaning what exactly? Can this be life threatening?"

"Can we see her?"

"Like a tumor or a cancer growth?"

The doctor sensing the bundle of anxiety and fear that surrounded the group gently guided Buffy to a seat and prepared himself to answer the horde of questions. "I won't be able to give you much information till I see the results. I suspect that your mother has a possible tumor growth that could be affecting her neurologically. Meaning it could be affecting her behavior, her personality, and it could affect her memory as well depending on the size of the growth…. I want her to rest till the morning at least. You and your family can come back later and I hope to have more information for you, but till then I'm afraid she needs her rest."

Buffy nodded numbly and stood as the Doctor patted her gently on the shoulder. She mumbled her thanks and something that sounded agreeable after he made a comment about her getting some rest. Her mind kept replaying the doctor's words tumor and shadow till she finally made the connection.

"Giles… I had a dream before all of this happened and I forgot about it with all the craziness. Klaus was in it and there was a shadow… He grabbed my mother and tried to grab me…. And there was a demon. I think he is trying to kill my mother to get to me." Her voice came out strong but she felt a weariness that she's never felt before settle on her shoulders. "That was the biggest mistake he will ever make in his life. No one touches my family."

Giles looked a little uncertain as he cleaned his glasses as if he was too afraid to speak about some loophole he might have found in her idea. "Buffy, I think we all need to rest and look at this with a clear head tomorrow. You especially because if Klaus is trying to attack you… you need to be prepared. The research I've done on him shows that he is a cunning and ruthless creature. He won't stop till he destroys you if that is his intention. It was rather odd actually…. He doesn't typically attack Slayers as far as my books tell me."

"Then your books are wrong Giles. Something big is happening here and I know that he is involved! I'm going to stop him before he hurts more of my family." Her hair fanned out in a shiny blonde wave as she made her way to the exit of the hospital.

"Buffy!"

Giles stood there hopelessly as the others came up behind him. Dawn looked around groggily as she huddled in Tara's embrace. "Where's Buffy?"

"G-man, I think we should go after her before she gets herself killed! This Klaus guy sounded like he could be worse than any of the baddies that Buffy has come up against." Xander practically shouted as he made his way after the Slayer.

"Buffy's the Slayer Xander. Let her slay." Anya said taking his arm to keep him back. Willow looked torn between taking off after Buffy and staying with Dawn.

"Let's get Dawn home and then I will continue researching to see if I can find anything. We will have to believe that Buffy knows what she's doing and wait for her return." Giles tried his best to be reassuring to keep the others grounded, but he knew his voice betrayed his worry for his Slayer.

"Giles is right… We need to keep Dawn safe and we need to research Klaus so that we can find any and all of his weaknesses for Buffy to slay him." Willow said.

The others nodded their agreement and followed after Willow as they made their way out of the hospital. Everyone except Dawn spared a glance out into the night offering their friend silent wishes of support and love as she faced whatever danger she was willingly walking into.


	5. Chapter 5

Klaus wondered for the hundredth time that night why the supernatural community were fascinated by this sleepy town. Sunnydale was truly pathetic compared to the great cities he's traveled to. The lack of culture and art was appalling. The food was limited to cheap diners and fast-food establishments. The vampires were dim-witted and lacked originality and the demons were foul creatures. The only thing that had captured his interest was the feisty little Slayer that gave so much life to this town with her radiance and power. As he prowled around attempting to find suitable accommodations that weren't sewer passageways or abandoned warehouses he came across plenty of creatures willing to share stories and tidbits of information about the girl. He was fascinated to learn she was still in high school when she arrived to this pathetic town and she fell in love with the Scourge of Europe or Angelus to his friends. He could see why Angelus would have been attracted to the girl. She radiated passion and warmth that practically spilled from her pores. He smiled as he thought of the courage that she showed even though he could have killed her multiple times that night and since then.

_She is a beautiful creature_, he thought. Stopping suddenly as a sweet smell assaulted his senses. It was a combination of vanilla and lavender. Sunshine and power. He smiled as he spotted the source of the sweet elixir. Buffy was prowling through the park several yards ahead of him. He could see that she was searching for something or someone. Even from this distance he could see her hand clenched tightly around the handle of a crossbow. Smiling he made his way over to her stopping mere feet behind her.

Buffy whirled around dropping into a crouch unleashing the bolt from the crossbow directly at his heart. Klaus swiftly knocked the bolt away from its attended path and stood smiling pleasantly in front of her.

"Has anyone ever told you that finding suitable accommodations in this town is absolutely dreadful?! My options have been reduced to in staying in a cheap motel, a warehouse, or sewer passageways," He made a mental note of her haggard appearance and dark shadows underneath her eyes. "I wouldn't be opposed to sharing a room with you. I could keep you warm on those chilly n-.."

"Ugh you wish. The mere thought makes me want to vomit." She hissed, making a face of disgust.

Klaus shrugged and gave her one of his most charming grins. "I'm a patient man."

"You're are going to be a dead man or an even more dead man if you don't get to the point. Why are you here? Here talking to me? Attacking my family?" Buffy took a step closer ignoring the warning sirens going off in her head that he was to her knowledge impossible to kill.

Klaus took a moment to appreciate the splendor of the small woman in front of him. The smell of her hair wafting in under his nostrils was nearly enough to pull her in and take his feel of her enchanting blood. "What's the matter love? You seem to be upset with me about something?"

"Messing with my family was the quickest way to get your very own pass to dustville. I wasn't expecting such a cowardly attack from a vampire with your reputation. I was expecting a little bit more of the theatrics and fluff that you egotistical vamps like to use." She hissed as she started forward. She ignored the glint of confusion that briefly flashed in his eyes.

"I believe you have me at a loss, I haven't made any attempts on your life or your family's lives." He neatly sidestepped the oncoming attack and dodged the powerful blows aimed at his head.

"You expect me to believe that? You come to my town and then my family magically start attacking each other?" She hissed through her teeth. Her fists flew through the air grazing past his skin as he quickly parried and dodged.

They continued their dance neither one gaining the upper hand till Klaus snatched her wrist and pulled her body flush against his pinning her arms against his chest. "Listen to me," He tightened his grip as she struggled to get free. "I haven't a clue of what you're talking about."

He waited till she stopped struggling and processed what he said before she gave him the signal to let her go. He tried to ignore the pang in his chest as looked upon the beautiful picture she made with flushed cheeks and her hair in disarray.

"You expect me to believe you? The little I've heard of you and your crazy family sent chills down my spine. Do you really think I'm going to believe anything that comes out of your mouth?" He shrugged his shoulders as she stared him down with a disbelieving look on her face.

"I can't force you to believe me or hear the truth in my words, but I will tell you I had nothing to do with whatever trouble you are facing." He spoke softly, stepping closer to her as if he was pulled by some invisible string.

"Then get out of town while you still can. I don't need another vampire causing havoc in my life right now." She said dismissing him as she turned on her heel to walk toward the exit of the park they were standing in.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Authors Note: I used some material from Season 5: Fool for Love to write this scene.**

That man is the devil. With his stupid accent, his stupid dimples, and his hair. She really hated those smug smiles and that dumb twinkle in his eye. What made it worse was the butterflies she got in her stomach when he sounded so damn sincere and just the right amount of charming. "Ugh, I need to get his cooties off me! He has mind control powers! I can just see Giles now… Sorry Joyce, Buffy went comatose over disgusting evil thoughts about Klaus!" She said, while wiping imaginary cooties off of her.

Not only was she confused, but now she was scared. If he wasn't the one causing her mother to have a major case of the wiggins. What was? That was the question that continued plaguing her as she made the short walk back to her house.

The idea of losing her Mother was unthinkable. Even though she was the hero of the story, Joyce was truly the one that had an unbreakable spirit… Giles may shrug off her dream as paranoia or fear over Klaus's arrival she knew it meant so much more. What the powers that be were trying to tell her was lost on her, but she hoped for everyone's sake that she was able to figure it out before she lost one of the most important people in her life.

When it came to Klaus and his intentions she was truly confused. He was so different the any vampire she had come across. He was strong, cunning, and in some ways so human. For a moment when she was wrapped in Klaus's embrace she felt a sense of peace. It's like she found that piece of her soul that's been lost since Angel left all those months ago. She wanted to chalk it up to loneliness from missing Angel, but Klaus brought up an entirely different set of unwelcome feelings in her.

"It's his fault for having those stupid little dimples which I don't find attractive at all," She mumbled to herself.

After shooting a longing glance to her bedroom window she continued walking past her house. "No rest for the Slayer." Smiling humorlessly at her joke she ignored the logical part of her brain that was telling her that underneath the adrenaline she was exhausted down to her bones she continued on to make a sweep of the cemeteries.

As she walked she spotted a vampire preying on a young couple as they passed by the cemetery gates. Frowning at their carelessness she walked till she was silently standing behind the vampire as he crouched behind the tombstone nearest the gate.

"I don't see how you guys think you blend in. One look tells me that you haven't seen a shower or soap in a really long time."

The vampire spun and threw a wild punch in the air which she in turn blocked and sent a small fist into his sternum that lifted him straight into the air. Smelly grunting and stumbling as he tried to regain his footing. He hissed and pressed on with his advances trying to gain ground on the petite Slayer.

"The fast-growing field of personal grooming has come a long way since you became a vampire. Not only do you smell you apparently have no concept of fashion. Have you seen a mirror recently?"

The enraged vampire made a futile attempt to tear at her throat that earned him a vicious backhand that caused him to stumble and slam into a nearby headstone.

"This has been fun, but, all good things come to an end eventually." Buffy performed a perfectly timed somersault that would have had her land directly in front of the stunned vampire so she could plunge her stake into his heart. That is if he didn't grab her stake and plunge the stake straight into her abdomen.

Gasping she stumbled several feet back as she stared at the red ring that stained the front of her shirt where the stake was painfully sticking out from her stomach. She looked up in shock as the fashion victim she spent the last few minutes toying with bested her at her own game. Seeming to realize that he landed a critical hit on her the vampire moved to finish what he started.

"What? No jokes? We were having so much fun a minute ago!" Hissed the vampire as he delivered a punch that caused her to land painfully on her stomach. Gasping she tried to pull her body away from him, but he shoved the stake deeper into her guts.

She struggled and fought as the smelly vampire laughed as he moved to sink his fangs deeper into her neck. She felt the world start to get fuzzy and tremble as a tear lazily fell down her face. She sent her love to her family and friends. She silently hoped that Giles would take care of her mother and Dawn.

"Get away from her!" A voice shouted from a distance. The vampire that was so close to accomplishing a goal that so many have tried suddenly burst into dust. Before she could thank her lucky stars and rescuer she felt herself fall into blackness.

The last thing she seen was a pair of beautiful blue eyes looking worriedly at her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Authors Note: This is kind of a short chapter, but I'll have the next one up soon!**

Klaus held the precious bundle tightly to his chest as he sped to the small apartment Buffy's Watcher lived in. He was thankful that he took the time to watch her and her friends. He wanted to learn their habits, routines, and all of the reasons Buffy cared for them. He told himself that he wanted to have the advantage over her, but a pang in his chest told him that was all a smoke screen for the real reason.

Before he decided on bringing her to her Watcher he contemplated bringing her to a hospital or to one of her friend's. The witch would have been too much of a risk if he wasn't able to catch her with his compulsion. He wasn't worried about his possible demise as much as he wanted to continue staying under her friends' radar. No, the Watcher was the safest option. He could heal her with his blood, but that would have left too many questions that he wasn't ready to answer yet.

He rapped hard on the door till he heard the Watcher moving about.

"Yes! Hold on please!"

The door was thrown open to reveal the Watcher looking rumpled, but well-armed with a cross in one hand and a wooden stake in the other hand. His eyes took in the scene before him. The tall man carrying the blonde woman as if she was his lifeline and the woman who's shirt was covered in dark red blood.

"Buffy! What have you done?!" Giles Immediately dropped everything and pulled her to rest in his arms as he lowered her to the ground as he inspected her wounds. "What happened?"

"She made a careless mistake with a lesser vampire and it would have taken her life if I didn't kill him first…. She'll be fine, the damage will be more to her ego." Klaus said, as he reached out to brush a strand of hair from her sweaty brow.

It was if she sensed his touch because she leaned her face into his cool hand and made a pained noise. Klaus ignored Giles's distrustful eyes and continued stroking her face and hair.

"Klaus, I presume?" Giles questioned him.

He spared the Watcher one of his cockiest smiles and whispered, "In the flesh."

"I need to bring her in the house and clean the wound." Giles lifted her body and made a move to carry her in the house. Before he stepped through the threshold he was caught in Klaus's hypnotic gaze.

"You will forget that I was here. When she wakes you will tell her that you were worried about her and found her before the vampire could make the final blow. You will do everything you can to treat her wounds. Do you understand?"

Giles pupils dilated and he sounded almost drugged, "Yes."

"Good. Take care of her." Klaus watched as the Watcher carried her in and slammed the door in his face. He continued standing there till he satisfied his need to continue listening to her heartbeat.

Giles sat next to his Slayer on his favorite armchair waiting patiently for his Slayer to wake up from her troubled slumber. He wondered if the changing expressions on her face were from fear, anxiety, or pain. Buffy was the most unusual women he has ever met. One minute she could act as silly as most young girls and then turn into a woman that was made into stone. Her shoulders constantly burdened with the weight of the world. The life of a Slayer was a terrible burden that he wouldn't wish on anyone.

He sat with a book that had several gruesome detailed encounters of the Originals and their fearsome leader. Instead of reading he sat trying to piece together his thoughts on how he went from pouring over different books to having his bloodied Slayer sleeping on his couch. He had an explanation of the events, but couldn't recall how. He didn't even remember leaving home. Yes, he was terribly worried, but Buffy has always prevailed over the most difficult of enemies.

He was pulled from his thoughts after he heard a soft groaning coming from the petite girl who was struggling to sit up on the low couch, "Ugh, I feel like such a wimp now."

"You're certainly not a- a wimp. Everyone experiences minor defeats. You may be a Slayer, but you're not invincible. Klaus is not nearly a mere vampire and he has talents that we are not even aware of yet." He pushed the kettle of lukewarm tea and biscuits in her direction ignoring the disbelieving look on her face.

"It wasn't Klaus. I got too comfortable with a vamp – a really stinky one- and he got past my defenses. I'm in the best shape of my life, I feel like I can take on anything, and I almost lost to a vampire that hasn't showered since Woodstock," She paused seeming to be in deep thought. "How did you find me? I remember seeing someone but I'm a little fuzzy on the details."

"Yes, that's quite understandable. I had this feeling that you would need help and I went looking for you. I found you as this… stinky fellow was about to deliver a crucial blow. I staked him and brought you here."

"Did you tell the others? What about Mom and Dawn?"

"No, I didn't think you would want to worry them needlessly seeing that you are only suffering from minor discomfort and a bruised ego."

"Good thinking. Mom would have major wiggins and that's the last thing she needs to worry about right now."

"Did you encounter Klaus on your patrol last night?" Giles really didn't want to ask, but he knew the question was eventually going to come up sooner or later.

"Yeah. He was all British and said he hasn't tried to harm Mom. I kind of believed him."

"Oh. Well, you have always been rather good at reading people so I will trust your judgement. Till then we need to keep a close watch on your mother and Dawn till he reveals what he is actually here for."

Buffy rose stiffly from the couch and made her way to the door, "I guess I should go home and clean up before I start to smell like Mr. Stinky Pants. I need to visit Mom and see what's going on with the- the shadow thing."

Giles offered to drive her home all the while ignoring the peculiar feeling that something was off. His keys were still hanging where he had left them and he noticed a cross half buried in the shrubbery by his door. If he had driven Buffy home and was scared for her life he doubted he had time to hang his keys. Plus, he doesn't typically leave anything that related to the paranormal or Buffy's late night activities laying carelessly around.

The drive was quiet due to both parties being lost deep in thought. Buffy sighed and looked at him with the eyes of a woman that seen too much pain and death. "My mom's situation isn't good Giles. I thought Klaus may have done something too her, but I think I was trying to make it something I could fix instead of facing what's really happening." She looked away and swallowed and took a deep breathe. "The doctor said something was on her brain, making her see and do things, and I don't know how to fix it. I don't know how I too fix anything that isn't about slaying. That's Mom's superpower."

They arrived too soon in front of Buffy's house. He placed his hand under her chin and made her look directly in his eyes. "Buffy, you're the strongest woman I have ever met and I don't mean physically. If anything were to happen you always have us to help you. Dawn, needs you there to support her and help her through this. I can't honestly imagine how she must feel seeing Joyce act aggressively towards her. You need to be strong and show her you will always be there and you would never intentionally harm her."

She smiled and his heart broke at how young she looked in that moment. "Thanks Giles. I owe you not only for the pep talk, but saving my life as well."

Again he felt his stomach drop as his brain tried to piece together how he got from point A to point C. He dared not to speak of this and add another worry to her pile. "Buffy, what do you think Klaus wants? You've encountered him twice now and he hasn't revealed why he is here on the Hellmouth.

"Other than being a pain in the ass I don't really know if he has intentions on doing anything. He seems to just enjoy pissing me off." She offered him one last smile before she closed the door.

He went to pull from the curb but stopped suddenly as a knock sounded at his passenger window. Buffy motioned for him to roll the window down, "Hey… You don't remember seeing anyone else around last night, do you? It's just I thought I seen someone bending over me before I passed out."

"Not that I recall." He said.

She pointed to her head with a silly smile, "I guess the stinky guy must have not only tried to use my insides for a kabob, but he must have rattled my brains too."

"Are you feeling well?"

"Just suffering from a bruised ego and some discomfort on my tummy, but it's no big." She back away from the car and waved goodbye. "I'll stop by later and we can dig up some dirt on Klaus."

Uneasily he watched her till she vanished inside the house and then he made his way back home.


End file.
